FINALLY, A VICTORY FOR THE VICTIMS OF CRIME

CRIMINALS will be forced to pay a ‘victim charge’ to fund compensation and treatment for those affected by their offences.

The money will be added to any fines, possibly amounting to hundreds of pounds.

The proposal – which is expected to generate £800,000 a year – will finally put victims at the heart of the justice system.

The money will go to thousands affected by crime, paying for everything from new doors or windows for burglary victims, to funeral expenses for grieving families. Psychological or other professional help will also be offered to those who have faced emotional or physical abuse.

The surcharge, to be added to fines from November, is being introduced six years after it was first promised by SNP ministers.

A Victim Support Scotland spokesman said: ‘We welcome today’s announcement from the Scottish Government, which proposes a new financial penalty on

criminals, with the money going directly into the Victim Surcharge Fund.

‘Any additional financial support given to victims, at a time when they are vulnerable and need it the most, is positive. We know through our new Support for Families Bereaved by Crime service how critical this is. We would see this as part of a package of improving support for everyone affected by crime, which is essential for putting victims first.’

The Scottish Government yesterday announced the surcharge would be imposed on all criminals sentenced to pay a court fine from November.

The money raised will be banked in the Victim Surcharge Fund. Victim support organisations will be able to apply to the fund to cover the costs of providing shortterm and practical support.

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘This announcement, while welcome, is also long overdue. It was promised six years ago and only now has the SNP Government bothered to come good on that pledge.

‘This move now needs to be matched by other initiatives to help victims, not least proper sentencing and heavier punishment for dangerous criminals.’

Scottish Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: ‘Victims of crime have missed out on millions of criminals’ cash as a result of the SNP’s dithering. The SNP said it could set up an independent country in 18 months. It couldn’t even set up a system to deliver the victim surcharge without it taking six years.’

Regulations allowing the charge to be introduced were laid in the Scottish parliament yesterday. It will apply to crimes committed on or after November 25 and payments from the fund will start to be made six to 12 months later.

The surcharge will begin at £10 for those handed a court fine of up to £200, rising to £20 for up to £500, £40 for up to £1,000 and £75 for fines of between £1,000 and £2,500. For larger court fines, a £175 charge will apply for those between £2,500 and £5,000, then £350 between £5,000 and £10,000. The charge will then be imposed at 7.5 per cent of the fine.

Scottish courts imposed 38,474 fines in 2017-18. While the amount of money available to the victim support fund will depend on crime levels and fines, the Scottish Government estimates that, after four or five years, the surcharge will raise £800,000 a year.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: ‘It’s only right that criminals should pay towards helping victims to recover and move on with their lives. The money raised through the surcharge will pay for practical support that will make a real difference to victims and their families.

‘This new fund will be a valuable addition to support already available and we have worked with the UK Government to ensure the necessary legislative arrangements are in place to allow its operation.

‘Over the coming year, we will also be carrying out further work to better understand where the gaps are in how Scotland supports victims and witnesses.’

FOR too long, victims of crime have seemed an afterthought in Scotland’s justice system. It is, therefore, a welcome step that a new £800,000 a year victim surcharge fund will be set up, paid for by criminals.

From late November, tens of thousands of criminals will need to pay an extra charge – starting at £10 and potentially rising to hundreds of pounds – to help victims recover from the trauma of their experiences.

It has, of course, been a long time coming. It was first proposed by SNP ministers six years ago and the delay and dithering has meant victims have missed out on millions of pounds of payments.

Now that SNP ministers have finally acted on this, they should turn to other aspects of the justice system where victims are failed.

They could start with the introduction of Suzanne’s Law, which would prevent killers being freed without revealing where they hid their victims’ remains. They could also give victims of crime a greater voice in advance of parole decisions.

They must turn away from their softtouch approach to justice. Only this week, people looked on with disdain when the killer of six-year-old Alesha MacPhail had his sentence reduced by three years.

A victim surcharge is a welcome step on the road to restoring the public’s faith in the Scottish justice system.